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Erschienen in: International Orthopaedics 6/2021

04.01.2021 | Orthopaedic Heritage

The Dark Age of medieval surgery in France in the first part of Middle Age (500–1000): royal touch, wound suckers, bizarre medieval surgery, monk surgeons, Saint Healers, but foundation of the oldest worldwide still-operating hospital

verfasst von: Philippe Hernigou, Jacques Hernigou, Marius Scarlat

Erschienen in: International Orthopaedics | Ausgabe 6/2021

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Abstract

Purpose

During the Middle Ages, the Christian church established itself as the dominant force over all aspects of medieval life, including the practice of medicine. As the Church’s influence expanded across Europe, the role of lay practitioners in medicine declined, and clerics gradually assumed the role of healers in surgical practice as the cure of the soul was felt to take precedence over cure of bodily ills.

Material and methods

A retrospective analysis of hospital foundation, old-school surgical techniques still used today was performed during the first part of the Middle Age.

Results

The Hospital Hotel Dieu in Paris was founded and remains the oldest worldwide still-operating hospital. The monastery became a resting place for travelers, as well as a place of refuge for the sick. As this role expanded, monks often developed considerable surgical expertise. This led to fierce competition for saintly relics and pilgrims. Among the myriad of saints to whom powers of healing were ascribed, the names of Damian and Cosmas figure prominently in medical history. Old-school medieval surgery was also performed with some bizarre techniques such as lip service by wound suckers, cautery, blood-letting, leech therapy, and maggot therapy.

Conclusion

This account of surgery before it became scientific is based on a chronology that runs from the Clovis baptism to the reign of Charlemagne; much of the medicine in this period was based on ancient doctrines; indeed, much of the development of medicine in the period called as “Dark Age” was due to the slow and difficult business of recovering and trying to understand ancient medicine
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Metadaten
Titel
The Dark Age of medieval surgery in France in the first part of Middle Age (500–1000): royal touch, wound suckers, bizarre medieval surgery, monk surgeons, Saint Healers, but foundation of the oldest worldwide still-operating hospital
verfasst von
Philippe Hernigou
Jacques Hernigou
Marius Scarlat
Publikationsdatum
04.01.2021
Verlag
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Erschienen in
International Orthopaedics / Ausgabe 6/2021
Print ISSN: 0341-2695
Elektronische ISSN: 1432-5195
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00264-020-04914-1

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